Keeping skills sharp

[waterpirate]

As winter has settled on the mid atlantic, and I have an impending crucible in FLA. in February. I was wondering how others keep their skills sharp in the dry season? I have been looking for a scuba friendly pool locally, but none have presented thus far. Any tips?

Eric

 

[Jax]

Ouch, that's tough. Have you talked to them?

"I share, swimmers take the top, I take the bottom."

If you talk to management, you are more likely to get attention than if you talk to an office manager.

Also, are there any hotels with little used pools? Like 8am on a Saturday?

 

[boulderjohn]

I feel your pain and have precisely the same situation. I was able to use a pool this past Sunday, and I am hoping to get in another practice in January. In each case, I need to drive more than 45 minutes. I will also be teaching an OW class during that period (just the pool), but that isn't the same thing. I am trying to get some people together for a 6-7 hour drive to a site in New Mexico in January as well. You have to do whatever you can.

 

[Jaydubya]

The local aquatic center allows diving but only if there is a rescue certified diver on the pool deck acting as a life gaurd. One of the dive shops also has it's own pool and sells club memberships for about 50 bucks. And then the local quarry is open year round. Brrrr.

But I don't do any of that anymore. I go cave diving in Florida about once a month in the off season. It definitely keeps my skills sharp

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Your concern is a good one, we do get rusty when not diving for a while. We are fortunate to have a pool right at our shop so what I do is run "clinics' through out the winter. Some of the "clinics" are Short/Long hose, SMB Deployment, Finning w/Video Feedback, Rescue, Doubles as well as "Open Pool' nights. With this approach, divers can keep skills up in the off season. Unfortunately most shops don't offer things like this because they would have to rent pool time so it is not cost effective. Good luck with keeping those skills up.

 

[HenrikBP]

worse come to worse, and there's no good way to get wet; you can always work on the very basic mechanics of the basic skills.

- rig up the doubles and play "failure & valve drill": put the rigged doubles on a table, get into the straps and play through various post/reg failures along with the corresponding valve shut-downs and reg changes.

- go through the motions of SMB retrieval from pocket, rig and pretend shoot. Develop a minimal sequence of steps to get it done and practice to minimize the "thinking" necessary to do it "for real".

- practice clipping/unclipping, back-up light deployment and stow.

etc. etc.

Henrik

 

[mathauck0814]

I think that Dutch has some hours during the cold months, no?

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Brave the cold and ice dive

 

[Ulfhedinn]

Sometimes I just stand in the shower with all my gear on.

I swim in a local pool but I also dive year round in the ocean.

 

[waterpirate]

All good suggestions so far. I have to admit that I am a temprature snob. Diving is supposed to be fun and anything that involves the defroster in the car enroute to the site that does not end in a heated pool is a "no go". I love the internet, I am pming dive seekers now!
Eric